Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Gearing up for the big day on January 20th, I took a look into the past. Lots of changes over the years! From CBS News: "The 2009 presidential limousine provides the Secret Service with a valuable asset in accomplishing its protective mission by affording its occupants the highest level of protection," a statement from the United States Department of Homeland Security read. The 2009 Cadillac Presidential Limosine has run-flat tires, a sealed interior to ward off a chemical attack and more bulletproof glass area than past presidential limosines. "It looks different [from past models] and it is different in some ways, but it's pretty subtle," General Motors spokesman David Caldwell told Hotsheet. "Although many of the vehicles’ security enhancements cannot be discussed, it is safe to say that this car’s security and coded communications systems make it the most technologically advanced protection vehicle in the world,” said Nicholas Trotta, Assistant Director for the Office of Protective Operations. CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports that the new limousine is the first of seven that were ordered from Cadillac by the Secret Service. In a radio interview with CBS News, Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan calls the new limo a "state of the art vehicle that gives the highest amount of security and safety to the occupants."

Probably the most famous Presidential limo in history is the Kennedy Lincoln Continental.Eisenhower had different car styles for different reasons. President Eisenhower's 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan.

1952 Chrysler Imperial Presidential Parade Car

The New York Times has a great Collectible Car slide show and history. Hail to the Chief!!

I conclude my photo homage to the The Best Houses of All Time in L.A., with house number 9, The Dodge House by Irving Gill. The Dodge House is the only house on the list to be demolished, and while this is a tragic loss in itself, I think that overall, the fact that this is the only house on the list that has been demolished, says a lot about the state of preservation in California. They have embraced the heritage of their Modern Architecture. We could learn a lot from groups like the LA Conservancy and their Modern Committee (ModCom). One of my New Years Resolutions is for KCMODERN to become more active in the Kansas City preservation community.

There has been quite a conversation over at Lotta Living about what was the first "Modern" house and whether the Dodge House was a "Modern" house at all... I say yes... What do you think?

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

My view of the north elevation or garage face of Case Study House #9 from Chautauqua Lane

My oblique view of the west elevation and side entrance to Case Study House #9 off of Chautauqua Lane

My view over the hedge from Case Study House #8 to the south elevation of Case Study House #9

Recently I wrote about the sale of Eero Saarinen's Miller House and the fact that a Saarinen designed house was about as rare as it gets. Well it appears that the Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames designed Case Study House #9 is for sale in LA. The only caveat with this, you must buy the 9700 square foot, relatively new modern house adjacent to it. It seems that the owners of the Barry Berkus designed house have been using the Entenza House as a guest house or maids quarters, depending on who you talk to. The whole thing will only cost you a cool $14 million!

The home was designed by Saarinen and Eames for the publisher of Arts & ArchitectureMagazine, John Entenza. Entenza had this house designed and built for himself and documented the process in a series of articles in his magazine about the Case Study Houses.

With this house, you will be in some enviable company on Chautauqua Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades of California. The home of Charles and Ray Eames, Case Study House #8 is next door. Case Study House #18, the West Residence by Rodney A. Walker is next door the other way and Architect, Richard Neutra's Bailey House, also known as Case Study House #20 is across the lane.

For the professional Photo Tour of the Entenza house and the attached new house click here.